


What This Life Is For

by firefly124



Series: 2020 AdventDrabbles [17]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU in which 15x19 made sense and 15x20 didn't happen, Community: adventdrabbles, Gen, Minor Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Wayward Sisters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:08:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28366659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firefly124/pseuds/firefly124
Summary: Sipping mulled wine by the fire on Christmas Eve with two awesome friends. What more could Jody ask for? Perhaps she shouldn’t have asked.
Series: 2020 AdventDrabbles [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2050380
Kudos: 5





	What This Life Is For

**Author's Note:**

> Written to the prompt [drinks by the fire](https://imgur.com/a/GkGllmG) for the [AdventDrabbles community on Dreamwidth](https://adventdrabbles.dreamwidth.org/).

Jody took a sip of the mulled wine Eileen had poured for her, the spices warming her down to her toes as much as the roaring fire. Miracle and Saoirse were lying snuggled together on the hearth, dozing peacefully. It was like something out of a Hallmark movie, right down to the glittering metal bird nesting in holly on the mantle.

Jody noticed that Eileen herself was drinking a mug of something else and filed that away like a clue for a case. If that meant what she thought it did, they’d find out when Eileen was good and ready. She smiled at the thought. 

“So,” she asked, reminding herself to look direct at Eileen, “how are you enjoying being out of the life?”

“We’re not out,” Eileen said. “We’re just mostly the research department. If something shows up close to home, obviously we’ll deal with it. We’re just not going looking for it.”

Jody nodded. That was basically her and Alex’s approach. Patience’s visions tended to flag things they might have missed otherwise, but yeah. Just sticking close to home. Claire was the one going out looking for trouble, calling for help with research when she and Kaia ran up against something new.

“Eileen, this wine is amazing!” Donna said as she swooped in to join them. “Old family recipe?”

“Yes, my aunt always made it. I was allowed one glass on Christmas day. The rest of the winter, she made a tea out of the spices.” She lifted her steaming mug.

“It’s nice keeping those traditions,” Donna said. “’Specially while you’re making new ones. You and Sam gonna be hunter holiday central now?”

“Probably.” Eileen laughed. “It’s why we got such a big place. Guest rooms for anyone who needs them.”

“Or maybe fill one or two of them yourselves.” Donna winked.

Eileen flushed and took another sip of her tea.

“Hope you don’t get too many business crashers,” Jody said. “Let them go to the bunker.”

“This is almost as secure,” Eileen said. “Trust me. Between us, I think we’ve got every protective sigil possible covered.”

Jody nodded. She wouldn’t expect anything less. That angel had probably added a few things, too. It was good to know that if Claire ever needed a safe house around here, she could come to a real house and be just about as safe as she’d be in the bunker. She tucked away the concern that other hunters would end up making this their safe house too. No point borrowing trouble.

“That some kind of protector too?” Jody nodded at the metal bird. 

“No, just another tradition.” Eileen laughed. “Wrens and holly are an Irish thing. Never did find any lore about it that made sense.”

“Lore’s supposed to make sense?” Donna asked. “Could’ve fooled me.”

Jody took another long sip of her wine, letting their banter fade into the background. The girls were all snug upstairs in bed. She was sitting by a toasty fire with two awesome friends. It was snowing out, but just enough to be pretty. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a Christmas that felt so perfect.

She winced. That was not a road she wanted to go down. Now that she’d thought it, though, she was already there. And what was wrong with her for thinking anything could be perfect?

“Hey, Jody-o, you okay?” Donna asked, a hand on her shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She dashed away a tear, keeping her eyes firmly on the fire. “Just thinking about … past Christmases.”

Donna gave her shoulder a squeeze and relayed the exchange to Eileen.

Right. She’d forgotten to turn and face her host when she spoke. So she wasn’t just a piece of shit for forgetting her husband and son. No, she was also an inconsiderate asshole.

“Aand that’s enough wine for you,” Donna said, taking the glass from her hand and setting it on the coffee table. She knelt next to Jody’s chair.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Eileen said, coming closer to join them. “We’ve all got people we wish were here. Missing them, remembering them, that’s part of it.”

Next thing she knew, Jody was pulled into a tight group hug. Some of the tears she felt were almost certainly not hers. And yet somehow it was perfect. These women, they got her. They got it. And she could be there for them while they were being there for her, and wasn’t that the point of it all?


End file.
